Mounting for spring roller window shades



Oct; 17, 1944.

H. C. M MULLEN MOUNTING FOR SPRING ROLLER WINDOW SHADES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 26 1941 FIG. 2

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l gm INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Oct. 17, 1944. c. McMULLEN 2,360,614

MOUNTING FOR SPRING ROLLER WINDOW SHADES Filed July 26, 1941 s Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGJS' FIGJG A TTORNEYS Patented a. 17, 1944 MOUNTING non) sranvo ROLLER wmnow SHADES Harry 0. McMullen, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application July 26, 1941, Serial No. 404,110 1 i (c1, 16029 4) 16 Claims.

7 This invention relates to the familiar spring roller window-shades wherein the shade or ourtain is fastened at thetop to a roller having a hollow portion in which is mounted a suitable spring adapted to turnthe roller so as to roll up the curtain upon release of a ratchet. The roller for a shade of this type is provided at one end with a plain round bearing pin and at the other end with a bearing pin havinga flattened end,

and release of the ratchet is accomplished by a sudden movementof the shade in a downward direction followed by an equally quick release, in a manner which is well understood by all users of the ordinary. window shade.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved means for mounting a shade of the type described so as to avoid certain difli culties heretofore encountered in the use of spring roller window shades. More specifically stated, my invention contemplates the provision of a mounting means which can be applied to the customary shade withdut in any way interfering with its known structure or manner of.

use; one which minimizes the wear and tear on s the curtain; one which insures perfectly even winding or unwinding of the curtain on the roller; one which prevents the stick at the bottom of the shade from marring or otherwise defac-- ing the finish of the window casing; one which prevents the shade from overrunning the roller,

as happens frequently when the shade is allowed I to run up uncontrolled; one in which the stick at the bottom of the shade is guided in suitable opposing trackways; one which provides means for rolling up a short length of the shade inde pendently of the roller spring in order to provide space for the customary, sudden motion downwardly and then upwardly when releasing the ,r atchet in instances where the stick mayhave been left so close to its bottom position as to interfere with the operation of the shade; one which minimizes damage to the roller spring; one which prevents the shade from being blown curtain or the stick at the bottom from becoming entangled with other drapes or curtains or the tie-backs therefor; one which can be readily adapted to mount a shade either between the supporting bracket used at the right-hand end 'around by the wind; one which prevents the and opposing side walls or the window embrasure or directly upon the inner face of the sidewalls of the window embrasure; one which'is inexpensive yet durable; andone which can be easily installed at a minimum of expense even by a relatively unskilled perso'n.- l How the foregoing, together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter or are incident to my invention, are attained is illustrated in-a preferred embodiment in'the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is an elevation ofa'window embrasure showing a fully drawn shade suitably supported with my improved mounting means;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on a greatly enlarged'scale, taken as indicated by theme 2 2 in'Figure 1;

Figure, 3 is a fragmentary section similar to l that of Figure 2 but illustrating an alternate location for a portion of the mounting means;

Figure 4 is a partial front elevation on a great- 1y enlarged scale showingk the left-hand side of my improved mounting means, the reference to direction being, determined when the observer faces the window;

Figure 5 is a vertical section also on a greatly enlarged scale, taken approximately I as indicated by the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an isometricprojection' of the supportingmechanism at the left-hand endofthe shade roller;

Figure '1 is a section taken approximately as indicated by the line 1-1 in Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a section taken approximately as indicated by the line 88 in Figure 7 ,r I

Figure 9 is a partial elevation of the upper right-hand corner of the window showing the improved mounting means which I employ for the right-hand end of the shade:

Figure 10 is a. section taken approximately indicated by the'line Iii-Ill in Figure. 9;

.7 Figure 11 is a section taken approximately as 1 indicated by the line I i-i I in Figure 9;

Figure 12 is an isometric projection of" the of theshade;

Figures 13 and 14 are isometric projections 11- lustrating the manner in which the guides or trackways are supported;

Figures 15 and ill-are isometric projections 11-.

lustrating the base fitting in which the lower ends of theguides or trackways are supported;

is an isometric projection of a sh Figure 17 I for the end of the shade stick.

By referring to the drawings it will be seenthat I have illustrated the conventional shade or curtainl8 as being mounted between the two sides IQ of the window embrasure formed by the a frame 20. In all of the figures, with the exception of Figure 3, the shade is illustrated as bein mounted between the opposing faces of the sides Below the bell 33 across the width of the 2 i9, although my invention is equally well adapted for use where it is necessary or desirable to mount the shade against the inner face 2! of, the frame, as shown fragmentarilyin Figure 3. Howthis is accomplished will appear more fully hereinafter.

At the top the shade is secured to the customary roller 22 provided at the right-hand end with the plain round supporting bearing pin 23 and at the left-hand end with the supporting or bearing pin 24 having the conventional flattened end, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5. The flattened pin 24 cooperates withthe usual spring, 22 with- A in the roller and the customary pawl and ratchet mechanism, not illustrated because, per se, they form no part of the present invention and because their structure and mode of operation are,

. well understood by those skilled inthe art. At

the bottom the shade is provided with the customary stick 25 and shade cord 28. In Figure 1 the full lines illustrate the' shade in its extreme lower position, the dash lines at the top indicating the'position which the stick and the shade cord will occupy when in their uppermost position. The dot-and-dash lines near the bottom of Figure 1 illustrate the position which the shade will occupy under certain conditions of operation to be described hereinafter.

At the upper left-hand cornerwhen facing the window I provide a novel supporting bracket 21 for the flattened pin 24 of the shade roller. The details of this bracket are illustrated in Figures 4 to 8 inclusive to which reference will now be made. This-bracket is hollow, as shown, and

carries a rotatable drum-like member 28 suitably flanged at the ends so as to prevent its being displaced from the bracket. At its inner end the drum wall is provided with a slot 29 into which the flattened pin 24 of the shade roller is adapted to fit so that the drum, the pin and the roller can be rotated together. A lug 30 on the upper side of the drum provides an anchorage for the operating chain or cable 3| which projects downwardly through the bell-shaped, opening 32 and carries at its end the ball check 33. I provide a pull or operating cord 34 having a. ring 35 at its lower end. Stops 30a limit rotation of the lug 30 to approximately 135which is all that is required for proper operation as described hereinafter.

The bracket 21 is also constructed to provide a housing 35 fona bumper rod 31 and a spring 38, as seen most clearly in Figure '7;

At the upper right-hand corner I provide a novel supporting bracket 39 having a slotted, opening 40 which is adapted to receive the rounded pin 23 of the shade roller, as clearly' shown to best advantage in Figures 9 to 12 inclusive. This bracket is similarly formed with a housing Minwhichis carried the bumper rod 42 and compression spring .43, which rod and spring correspond exactly to the rod and spring 31-'-38 at the left-hand side.

A channel-shaped guide or trackway 44 is provided at each side of the window embrasure, the openings being 7 arranged to face each other dow. At the top these guides or trackways oject into the lower open ends 45 and 45 respectively of the housings 36 and 4|. The lower ends project down into the base fittings or fixtures 41-one .at each side. These base fixtures are identical, but are arranged so that the inwardly projectingdug. fits into the open channel of the associated trackway 44 which, of course, requires that the base be used in one position at the left-hand side ber 59 and an angle member 50 which are secured together .by means of a nut and bolt 5|. The.

free ends of these two members are bent at right angles to form the lips 49a and 50a which are adapted to project into suitable openings 35a and 39a respectively of the brackets 21 and 39; into similar openings 44a in the guides or trackways 44; and into the slots The straight member is provided with a wall or securing flange 49b having an opening 49c for a fastening screw. e

When mounting the various parts by means of my improved hanger, it is, of course, necessary that the two parts of the hanger be separated by loosening the nut and bolt fastening means 5|, or at least loosening sufliciently so that the hooked ends 490. and 500, can be slipped around the part which is to besupported. Then, when *the ends 49a and 50a are properly lined up with the openings into which they are to fit, the nut 5| is tightened up so that the part is firmly 30 clamped in position. Any number of hangers can be employed, depending upon the'weight of the parts which, in turn, the height of the window and the. length of the guides or trackways 44. I prefer to employ two hanger units for each of the upper brackets and one hanger unit for each base fitting. The num- -ber which may be desirable for the. guides or trackways will, of course, vary with different installations.

40 Each end of the shade stick 25' is provided with a suitable slide or shoe 52 illustrated in isometric projection in Figure 17. These slides or shoes are of similar configuration, although they must be reversed for each end of the stick because of the fact that the stick is provided with I a'flat side 25a which goes next to the window and a, bevelled side 25b which faces the room. Therefore, these slides or shoes are provided with the hollow end 53 having the vertical face 53:; 0 adapted to cooperate with the face 25a of the stick and the inclined face 53!) adapted to cooperate with the face 25bof the stick. Projecting from the hollow portion 53 is a slide portion proper 54 which is adapted to project into the 55 opening in the adjacent channel. Between the portions 53 and 54 I provide a transverse flange portion 55 which acts to protect the edge of the shade. In use the shoes are simply slipped over the ends of the stick and lie between the Stick and the surrounding hem i8a of the shade.

Installation and operation are as follows. First, the upper supporting brackets 21 and 33 are put in place by means of the hanger units already described. Then. the upper ends of the the guides or tracks. I prefer'to mount the bases.

41 slightly above the window sill 55 so as to provide a space 51 for purposes of cleaning, the bases 41 being made hollow,so as to permit any dirt to fall down and out of the bottom thereof.

21 and 39, the lower base 1 41a in the base fixtures 41.-

depends entirely upon asoopis r 3 With the shade rolled up on the roller the flatsided pin 24 is next introduced into the slot 28 in the bracket drum 28, after which the other end of the roller is placed in position by dropping the round pin 23 into the slot 40 of the bracket 39, after which the stick 25 is tipped upwardly at one end so that the ends 54 of the shoes 52 can be inserted in the trackways, whereupon the stick is brought back to its horizontal position, and the shade is ready for use.

Operation of the shade takes place in exactly the manner which is customary with shades of this type, a slight sudden downward movement followed by quick release being necessary to free the pawl and ratchet mechanism so that the spring in the roller can wind up the shade.

Should the shade be pulled down to its lowermost 1 position, as shown by full lines in Figure l, where it is impossible to get the necessary sudden downward movement, all that is required is for the operator to pull on the cord 34 which will rotate the drum 28 through the medium of the chain 3i passing around the upper side of the drum until the stops 30a are encountered. Rotation of the drum will, in turn, rotate the shade roller by means of the flat pin 24, rotation taking place 7 in a counterclockwise direction, as'viewed-in Figures and 7. The degree of winding which can be effected in this way is,'of course, slight, but it is arranged to be just sufllcient so as to'raise the down firmly on the cord 34, the operator can give the quick downward pull followed by sudden release which will free the pawl and ratchet mechanism and permit the roller spring to wind up the shade. The short length of the shade which is wound on the roller in the manner just described is accomplished, of course, quiteindependently of the action of the roller spring, and is provided for "simply so that the operator can proceed to raise the shade in the customary .manner inthose instances where the shade is pulled so close to the window sill as to prevent this.

It will be seen that my improved mounting means provides a positive means for at all times guiding the shade and preventing it from being blown around by'the wind. It is impossible for the stick to catch in any drapes or the tie-backstherefor or to mar any of the adjacent woodwork or finish. The shade can never be pulled from the roller by careless operation because the base fixtures 41 act as stops for the shoes 52, thus preventing too great an unwinding of' the shade.

Damage to the shade or to the roller spring is avoided during uncontrolled upward movement of the shade by virtue of the fact that the shoe lugs 54 will come into contact with the bumper rods 31 and 42 in the housings 3B and 4|, respectively-these bumpers, in turn, being cushioned in their upward movement by the springs "and- 43. The edges of the shade are also protected because the mounting prevents all contact of the shade with any of the adjacent parts.

Th mechanism is exceedingly simplein character and easy-to manufacture, and therefore can be cheaply manufactur d so as to reduce the 3 the shade is placed against the inner face 2i of'the window frame, and in order to do this all that is required is to turn the hanger units"90 from the position shown'in Figure 2 to that shown 1.; The combination with an ordinary spring' roller shade including the usual spring and ratchet actuated roller, the shade fabric attached at one end to saidroller and having a hem at the other end, and a stick in said hem, of opposed trackways to guide only thestick and indirectly the shade fabric, a rotatable support for one end of the roller to be engaged by a portion of the ratchet mechanism, and means for turning said rotatable support to wind a short length of the shade fabric onto the roller and thereby elevate the stick in th trackways.

2. In combination, a pair of opposed channel trackways to be secured on opposite sides of a window frame, base fixtures at the lower ends of trackways, for supporting a shade roller, a drum rotatably mounted in one bracket and having a f slot to receive a flattened pintle, means to limitthe movements of saiddrum, an ordinary spring and ratchet actuated shade roller having a flattened pintle mounted in the slot of the drum whereby the shade'roller may be operated in the usual manner and also rotated without eflecti'ng tached at one end to said roller, a stick carried by the other end of said shade fabric, shoes on the ends of said stick insertable endwise into the trackways when the stick is tilted-said shoes cooperating with the .trackways to prevent the edges of the shade fabric from engaging the 4 trackways, meansto rotate the dru'mto wind 0. short length of the shade fabric onto the roller and thereby elevate the shoes when in engagement with the base fixtures whereby the shade fabric may be unwo und from the roller and the 45 latter revolved independently of the drum sufllciently to release the ratchet mechanism for rolling up .the shade, and buffer. means carried by the brackets in the path of upward travel of the shoes to absorb the shock due to sudden substantially complete rolling up of the shade.

The structure of claim 2 wherein the trackways and fixtures and brackets have sets of openings, each set consisting of several openings in different walls and in the same plane, in combination with hangers to be fastened to the win-' dow frame and-each hanger having lips selectively engageable with any two of a set of openings.

4. Means for mounting a spring roller win dow shade including in combination with the shade stick and the flattened pintle, opposed trackways adapted to guide the ends oi the stick,

-'a rotatable support for the flattened pintle, and means for turnin said rotatable support to wind 05 ,a short length of the shade onto the roller independently of the action of the roller spring.

5. The mounting of claim 4 wherein spring stops are provided for cushioning the final upward movement of the stick.

7o 6. Means for mounting a spring roller window shade including in combination with the shade stick and the flattened pintle, a rotatable support for the flattened pintle, opposed, trackways for the stick, a shoe ,for eachend of' the.

u stick adapted to ride in the adjacent 'trackway,"

said trackways, brackets at the upper ends of the the ordinary operation thereof, shade fabric atand means for turning said rotatable support to wind a short length of the shade onto the roller independently of the action of the roller spring.

'7. The mounting of claim 6 wherein spring stops are provided for cushioning the final upward movement of said shoes.

8. The mounting of claim 6 wherein base members are provided for supporting the lower ends of the trackways clear of the sill of a window frame and wherein spring stops are provided for cushioning the final upward movement of the shoes.

9. A shoe for the stick of a roller shade, said shoe having a hollow body portion adapted to fit over the end of the stick, a guiding lug portion projecting therefrom, and a shade protecting flange projecting outwardly from a point between said portions. 4

10. Means for guiding the end of a roller shade stick, including a channel shaped track, a shoe for the end of the stick adapted to project into the .track channel, a. bumper at the top of the track, a base at the bottom of the track, and a plurality of. clamping supporting hangers to be fastened to a window frame'and adapted to clamp the channel and the bumper and the base.

11. Means for guiding the end of a roller shade stick, including a channel shaped track, a shoe for the end of the stick adapted to project into the track channel, a bracket at the top of the track, a base at the bottom of the track, and a plurality of hangers to be selectively fastened to either of two faces of a window frame at right angles to each other and to clamp the bracket,

the track and the base while maintaining the track channel facing inward.

12. A support for the flattened pintle of a spring roller window shade, said support includin a bracket-portion, a rotatable drum portion having an axial slot for receiving the flattened pintle, and means for turning the'drum to,roll up a shortlength of the shade independently of the action of theroller spring. 13."I'he support of claim 12 wherein there is also included a resilient bumper for. checking the free upward movement of the shade under the action of the roller spring.

14. Means formounting a spring roller window shade including a supporting bracket hay-'- ing means for rotating the roller to wind a short length of the shade onto the roller independently of the action of the roller spring.

15. A hanger for the appurtenances ofa mountin for spring roller shadescomprising a straight member, an apertured securing flange at the inner end, an intumed lip at the outer end, an angle member including two legs at right angles to each other, one of said legs cooperating .with the straight member intermediate the ends of the latter, means to secure said members together, and an intumed lip at the outer end of the other leg of said angle member.

16. In combination, 'a pair of opposed channel trackways to be secured on opposite. sides of a window frame, base fixtures at the lower ends of said trackways, brackets at the upper ends of the trackways, an ordinary spring and ratchet actuated shade roller mounted in said brackets,

shade fabric attached at one end to said roller, a stick carried by the otherend of said shade fabric, shoes on the ends of lsaid stick insertable endwise into the trackways when the stick is tilted, said shoes cooperating with the trackways to prevent the edges of the shade fabric from touching thetrackways, and buifer means carried by the brackets in the path of upward travel of the shoes to absorb the shock due to sudden substantially complete rolling up of the shade.

i IARRY c. MCM'ULLEN. 

